Cost-effective Security Measures

Many businesses house their valuable assets on site—people, products, information and money. Even if a commercial property is in a “good neighborhood,” it can be an attractive target for burglary. But employing a few inexpensive, simple strategies can make properties safer for tenants and tougher for breaking and entering.

Property crime constitutes more than three-quarters of the nation’s total crimes, with about one-third of all burglaries committed against businesses, according to a 2005 U.S. Department of Justice study . Equally alarming, approximately 84 percent of all attempted burglaries result in the offending party gaining entry.

Designing for Safety
Security professionals have developed several strategies to deter property crime. For example, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a comprehensive security planning approach developed by Rutgers University ’s School of Criminal Justice Crime Prevention Service for Business . CPTED focuses on the design of space inside and outside of buildings and the positioning of buildings in relation to the street, lighting, entrances, exits and landscaping, all to reduce crime, Rutgers professor Marcus Felson says.

“Incorporating sidewalks, landscaping, fences, gates and porches to create a border between private and public property is not necessarily meant to prevent anyone from physically entering. These techniques are often used to create a feeling of territoriality that sends a message to potential offenders that the property isbeing looked after by someone and they should stay out,” Felson says.

Controlling Access
Take a walk around your property and think like an intruder. This will help you analyze where potential breaks in are more likely and how one might get into the property.

Threats to commercial properties come from both outsiders and insiders, says Ralph Witherspoon, who serves on the board of directors for the International Association of Professional Security Consultants. “Most crimes are committed inside buildings whether its intruders or employee theft,” Witherspoon says. “However, if you can control building access, there’s a significant advantage in keeping the wrong people out.”

“There’s a trend toward more sophisticated electronic security equipment, but for many of those devices to be effective they require monitoring,” Witherspoon says. “You have to figure in that labor cost and have backup plans for power outages or system failures.”

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras can intimidate trespassers and provide a view of key building areas, but such equipment involves an upfront cost and also involves added expenses.

But you don’t have to have expensive equipment to keep your property secure. The following low-cost security measures can help prevent unauthorized access for small and medium-sized properties:

• Burglar alarms/intrusion detection systems
• Commercial grade security locks on exterior/select interior doors
• Pinned or welded door hinges
• Electronic key-card systems
• Photo identification cards
• Wireless sensor networks
• Emergency panic buttons

Lighting the Way
Effective lighting around established entrances/exits, hallways and parking areas demonstrates that the property is cared for well. Lighting also enhances a tenant’s ability to navigate areas safely and increases the likelihood of customers, neighbors or passers-by will witness security breaches.

Prevention Pays
Security systems can make good financial sense. Insurance companies recognize the actual and deterrent value of home security systems and often provide a premium discount of 10 to 20 percent depending on certain variables. Some insurers extend similar discounts on commercial policies because, on average, businesses devoting resources to risk reduction and risk control have fewer insurance claims, says Loretta Worters, vice presidentof the Insurance Information Institute.

“Many insurers offer discounts if sophisticated burglar alarms connect with police or private agencies enabling them to respond immediately,” Worters says. “Insurance discounts may also be received by implementing 24-hour security video surveillance.”

Installing monitored-access systems, such as those used by high-end jewelry stores in which employees must press a button to allow customer access through a front door, are another key security measure. Insurers also favor security systems with physical barriers to off-hours entry points such as gates, window barriers and metal screens.

Before you install any new security devices, ask your insurance agent:

1. Are specific discounts offered to businesses taking preventive measures?
2. What types of security equipment are included, and which systems contribute to larger discounts for your type of business and location?
3. Do you need documentation from the security manufacturer to earn discounts?